Tacker



March 27, 1951 H. E. SMYTH 2,545,527

TACKER Filed Sept. 5, 1948 3 SheetsSheet 1 E INVENTOR 650m; E. SMYT/l.

ATTORNEYS H. E. SMYTH March 27, 1951 TACKER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR e040 5. Jun-m ATTORNEYS H. E. SMYTH March 27, 1 .951

'TACKER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 3, 1948 ATTORN EYS Patented Mar. 27, 1951 TACKER Harold E. Smyth, Millville, Mass., assignor to Bachmann Uxbridge Worsted Corporation, Uxbridge, Mass, a corporation of Massachuseti-s Application September 3, 1948, Serial No. 47,605

3 Claims. (Cl. 11220 3) This invention relates to a device adapted to fold a length of cloth along its longitudinal inedian line and to secure the free edges of the folds together with their margins accurately aligned. vertically with one another and horizontally with respect to the securing means.

In textile mills it is common practice to fold over a length of material and sew, or otherwise secure, its margins together with one superimposed over the other the operation is known in the trade as tacking. It is common practice to tack goods Wlih the face of the fabric on the side before fulling; the operation is also performed on goods with tendenc to wrinkle so that the goods will balloon and change position more often in washing and dyeing.

Tacking has previously been performed without an accurate automatic guiding means, by positioning a worker directly before the sewing head,

who grasps the margins of the cloth and pulls them to as close all "nnent as possible. This job is one of the most tedious in the mi l further, the continual grasping of the cloth makes the operatives fingers sore. These factors result in processing the goods at a fairly low rate of speed, and usually decreased operatives efi'iclency, affecting both production and quality of work produced, as the work day progresses.

An object of the invention is to do quickly, continuously and accurately by mechanical means a job that was formerly done slowly, tediously and inaccurately by manual means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device adapted to accurately align the margins of a folded-over length of cloth and to do so when one length of cloth is attached to another and there is a difierence in width between the two lengths.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and practical device of the above described kind.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the several steps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of the others thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

The invention will best be understood if the following description is read in connection with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Figure 1, partly in section; taken on the line 22, Fig.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure Figure i is a vertical sectional view taken on the line i4 of Figure 6;

Figure 5 is a top plan of a device embodying the invention;

Figure 6 is a detail View showing means em ployed for keeping a folded length of cloth extended laterally; and

Figure '7 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 7-1 of Figure 2.

In the embodiment of the invention shown herein the length of cloth after being folded along its longitudinal medial line on a folding stand is led through apparatus embodying the invention which keeps the margins of the folds of the cloth aligned vertically with one another and horizontally with a sewin head by which the free margins are stitched together. The device is adapted to maintain the position of the free margins irrespective of variations in the width of the cloth. No claim is made per se to the folding stand, nor to the sewing stand assembly upon which the sewing head is shown mounted, nor to the electric feeler mechanism and means for moving a chain sprocket which a e illustrated herein.

The cloth iii is folded, before being supplied to the apparatus which is the subject of my invention, in any suitable way but preferably is led over a guide roller l2 and down over a folding stand which may be of known kind and as shown herein comprises an inclined V-shaped apron M which is positioned directly over a guide roller 5%, with the apex E5 of the apron above the far end of the roller it. As the cloth passes over the inclined apron i i and down to roller IE it is folded along its median line, the apex of the apron establishing the line of fold, with one fold of the material passing down over the edge M of the apron and the other fold of the material passing over the edge is of the apron. Thus the length of the material is drawn around roller it in folded condition and is advanced through the apparatusto be described to the rolls l8 and 28. After passing around roller I6 the fold Iii is superimposed upon the fold 56 with their free margins substantially aligned vertically, but at this stage variations in the width of the Cloth affect the positions of the margins of the folds 59 and Ni thus causing the margins of the folds to describe an uneven wavy line and causing misalignment of the margins relative to one another.

After passing around the roller Hi the free margins of the folds are separated, fold w being led under a guide rod 22, projecting outward- 1y from frame 24, which as shown herein is supported in a vertical plane on arms a and l) which project laterally from frame member 25 which extends vertically from the fioor or base upon which the apparatus is mounted, and over guide bar 26, also projecting laterally from the frame 24, into contact with an endless member 28 by which it is engaged and advanced and may also be moved laterally as will be explained.

The lower fold IG of the cloth is led over guide 35, projecting laterally from the upright 32 forming one of the supports for the V-shaped apron I4, and over guide 32 projecting from arm 35 extending from the frame 25 and which may be an extension of arm 1?, under guide 38, and over guide Mi, both of which project from frame 22, into engagement with an endless member 42 by which the fold Ifi of the cloth is engaged and advanced and at the same time may be moved laterally as will be explained.

The endless member 28 is mounted on sprockets id and 45. The endless member 32 is mounted on sprockets 48 and 50. Sprocket $8 is mounted on shaft 52 which is connected by sprocket chain 53 to sprocket 53 (Fig. on a shaft 53 driven from motor 5 through shaft 55, reduction gear 58 which has a shaft 60 on which is mounted pulley 62, and through belt 55 to pulley 56 on shaft 53 Spro :et $2 is mounted on shaft 68 which is journalled in frame member 2 5 and is driven from shaft 52 through a chain of gears contained in the housing 15, see Figure 5.

Sprockets :25 and 59 are mounted on fixed shafts I2 and Id respectively each of which is supported from the frame member 25. Sprocket 46 has a hub portion 4] slidable on rod 32 and attached by strap iii to a collar I8 which is internally threaded and mounted on a threaded rod 85 extending through and journalled in frame member 25 and in a bracket SI projecting from frame member 25, and is caused to travel on the rod 88 toward or away from the path of travel of the cloth when the rod 86 is rotated. Similarly sprocket 55 has a hub portion 5I slidable on rod 1 3 and attached by strap 82 to a collar 84 which is internally threaded and mounted on a threaded rod 85 which also extends through and is jour- I nalled in frame member 25 and in a bracket which meshes with gear 80 on the shaft of the re I versible motor 92 which is supported on bracket 93 from frame member 25. Similarly rod 86 has mounted on its rear end the gear 54 which meshes with a small gear 95' on the shaft of reversible motor 93 (not shown but similar to motor 92) which may also be supported from frame member 25.

Straps It and 82 project beyond the hubs of sprockets 35 and 55 to which they are respectively attached and have at their extremities the switch boxes I80 and IE2 respectively containing the terminals of circuits connected with the motors S2 and 98 respectively, as indicated in Figures 2 and 3, for driving said motors either forward or in reverse. The circuits to each motor are controlled by the position of the contact fingers H34 and 505 respectively which are pivotally mounted on pivots I56 and IE1 in switch boxes If!!! and I52 respectively and extend down at an angle into contact with the free margins of the folds IE] and II) respectively. The fingers I04 and I05 and the circuits they control may be of the type heretofore employed for moving the rear chain sprockets used on open widths of cloth in a cloth dryer. Variations in position of the margin or either fold, due to variations in the width of the cloth or for any other reason, will change the inclination of the finger in contact with the margin of the fold.

Finger on has a bifurcated upward extension the arms Mi l and I N of which when moved upwardly by the down-swing of finger I04, are adapted to contact the terminals I08 and I59 in switch box I89 thus closing the circuit through leads HI and H2 actuating the motor 92 to turn shaft 82 in one direction. When movement of the fold causes finger I04 to swing upwardly extensions Hi4 and ifi i of finger Hi4 are similarly adapted to contact terminals I29 and III! thus closing another circuit to motor 92 through leads H2 and H3 causing rod 85 to be rotated in the opposite direction. Movement of rod as has been explained causes the collar I8 to travel toward or away from the cloth according to the direction of rotation of rod Bil, thereby moving thesprocket l5 and endless member 28 laterally with respect to the line of travel of the cloth to' thereby adjust the position of the free margin of fold Iii of the cloth.

Similarly finger 555 has a bifurcated upward extension the arms Hi5 and 55 of which are adapted to be moved into contact with terminals H4 and H5, or H5 and H6, in switch box I52 depending upon the direction of movement of finger I95 resulting from movement of the margin of fold Iil away from the desired position thus closing a circuit to motor 98 through leads Ill and H8, or H8 and H9, whereby the position of the margin of fold I!) will be adjusted toward or way from the line of travel of the cloth by lateral movement of sprocket 50 and endless member 32 due to movement of collar in a direction controlled by the direction in which rod 86 is rotated.

The endless members 25 and 42 as shown herein comprise a series of links I20 from which project pins I21 which when they are brought into contact with fold Iii of the cloth penetrate through the cloth and thus positively engage it whereby the cloth is effectively advanced longitudinally with the endless member or moved laterally as has been described. Fold Iii is brought into positive contact with endless member 28 by the action of brush i212 pivotally mounted at I23 (Fig. 7) on bracket i2 3 projecting from frame member 25 and urged into contact with fold Ill by the weight I25. Fold IE is brought into contact with endless member d2 by action of bush I26 pivotally mounted at I2? on bracket I28 projecting from frame member 25 and urged into contact with fold Ill by spring I29.

Projecting between the upper and lower folds of the cloth is an assembly for keeping the folded over cloth opened out laterally. It comprises the rod I35 extending through gear box II! and frame 25 and through tube I3I projecting from the frame member 25 between the folds Iii and Hi At its inner end rod I30 is threaded to engage the handwheel I32, the hub E32 of which is internally threaded. The hub I32 is reduced at I32 (Fig. 5), the reduced portion being engaged by flanges I 33 and I33 projecting from the rear of gear box 70. The inner end of rod 535 is pivoted at I34 to a tubular member I35 extending substantially at right angles to member I35 in which is received telescopically one end of rod I36 which is connected by pivot I3? to angularly disposed rod I38 the other end of which is fixed to frame member 25 at I40. The tubular member I35 is adapted to contact the cloth without catching in it. By rotation of hand-wheel I32 the position of which is fixed, rod I30 may be moved toward or away from the line of fold thereby swinging the said assembly toward or away from the line of fold to keep the folded cloth extended laterally. By manipulation of hand-wheel I32 any change in the width of the length of cloth may be compensated for along the line of fold thus keep-ing the free margins of the folds aligned vertically with one another and horizontally with the means for securing said margins together.

As illustrated herein the means for securing the margins together is a sewing head I58 which is mounted adjacent one end of a table I52 over which the folded over cloth is led to the rolls l8 and 20, the latter of which is shown connected to driving belt 2|. As the sewing head I50 and its stand may be of known construction and per se forms no part of the present invention they are not described in detail herein. As shown herein the sewing head 550 is driven from pulley I'l mounted on main shaft 53 by belt i5l.

In the apparatus described above the free margins of the folds ID and IE! of the cloth are aligned with the guide member Ids, fixed to table I52 which serves to guide th margins of folds I!) and I to the stitching head so that they are stitched together by a line of stitchin I56 (Fig. 5) positioned a substantially constant distance from the free margins of the said folds. Pivoted to the front edge of table I52 at 58 and I58 is a bar I65 which rests on the top of the length of cloth to make it taut during the step of securing together the edges of it and Iil By means of the cloth opening assembly described above the folded over cloth is maintained in fully extended position in advance of the stitching head and any variations in width are compensated for along the line of fold and without changing the position of the free margins of said cloth.

By means of the apparatus described herein the free margins of the folds of cloth may be accurately aligned with the stitching head with the cloth traveling at a much higher speed than is practical when the operation is performed manually.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a method and apparatus in which the various objects hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments might be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as the art herein described might be varied in various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. A device for accurately aligning the margins on a folded over length of cloth which comprises, a pair of endless members positioned one substantially above the other, means for leading one thickness or fold of the cloth into engagement with the lower flight of the upper of said endless members, and means for leading the other thickness or fold of said cloth into engagement with the upper flight of the lower of said endless members, a plurality of sprockets for sup- 7 porting each of said endless members, means for rotating said endless members at synchronous speeds to advance the cloth to a sewing head with 6 the free edges of said folds engaged by said endless members respectively, and an assembly for maintaining the folded over cloth extended to its full width and for compensating for any variations in width comprising, a rod mounted for movement toward and away from said fold and having one end extending between the folds of said cloth toward the fold line and pivotally connected to one end of an extensible contact member angularly disposed with respect to said rod, the other end of said contact member being pivotally connected to a fixed supporting member, whereby said tubular member may be swung toward or away from said line of fold by movement of said rod toward or away from said contact member.

2. A device for accurately aligning the margins on a folded over length of cloth which comprises, a pair of endless members positioned one substantially above the other, means for leading one thickness or fold of the cloth into engagement with the lower flight of the upper of said endless members, and means for leading the other thickness or fold of said cloth into engagement with the upper flight of the lower of said endless members, a plurality of sprockets for supporting each of said endless members, means for rotating said endless members at synchronous speeds to advance the cloth to a sewing head with the free edges of said folds engaged by said endless members respectively, one of the sprockets for each of said endless members being slideably mounted on a rod extending right angles to said endless members, a second externally threaded rod mounted adjacent and parallel to the rod on which the sprocket is slideable, an internally threaded collar mounted on said externally threaded rod for movement longitudinally thereof, and a strap interconnecting said collar and said sprocket, and a reversible motor for rotating said externally threaded rod to cause movement oftlie said collar thereon thereby causing sliding movement of said sprocket member on its supporting rod carrying with it the end of said endless member supported by said sprocket, and control means for said rod rotating means responsive to the position of the free edge of the fold with which said endless member is engaged.

3. A device as claim d in claim 2 in which the strap interconnecting the collar and the sprocket is extended to support a switch box containing the terminals of a circuit connected to said motor, a finger pivotaily mounted within the said switch box and extending externally of the box into contact with an edge of the fold engaged by the endless member supported by said sprocket, the inclination of said finger being responsive to the position of the edge of the said fold to make or break a circuit within said switch box for driv ing said motor either forward or in reverse.

HAROLD E. SMYTI-l.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 489,590 Marble et al. Jan. 10, 1893 1,636,517 Krasa July 19, 1927 2,321,010 Cohn June 8, 1943 2,413,891 Roy Jan. '7, 1947 

